China’s President Calls for China-Afghanistan Collaboration

(MENAFN) China’s President Xi Jinping has called for enhanced cooperation with Afghanistan to accelerate the war-ravaged country’s recovery and growth.

Speaking at the 2nd China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, Xi emphasized the importance of joint efforts to restore peace and development in Afghanistan, as stated by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

“We should strengthen coordination to help the country boost its development capacity and achieve peace, stability, reconstruction and development at an early date,” Xi declared to leaders of five Central Asian nations, several of which share borders with Afghanistan.

Highlighting Afghanistan’s geographic and strategic significance, Xi described it as a “close neighbor” not only to China but also to Central Asia. Countries including Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan directly border Afghanistan, while China connects to Afghanistan via the mountainous Wakhan Corridor in Xinjiang.

The call for deeper engagement comes amid Afghanistan’s worsening economic turmoil, exacerbated by the U.S. freezing $7 billion in Afghan foreign reserves. This financial blockade was imposed by the Biden administration after the U.S.-led troops fully withdrew in August 2021, leading to the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul.

According to official Chinese government figures, bilateral trade between China and Afghanistan reached $1.59 billion last year.

In a significant diplomatic move, China was the first nation to accept a Taliban-led interim government ambassador in January 2023 and dispatched its envoy to Kabul by September of the same year.

Although no member state of the United Nations has formally recognized Afghanistan’s interim administration, the UN continues to operate an office in Kabul to manage its humanitarian and coordination efforts.

Currently, Abdul Salam Hanafi, Afghanistan’s deputy administrative prime minister, is visiting China accompanied by a senior Afghan delegation, signaling ongoing high-level dialogue.

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